Stonington, CT – New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) announced this year's winning artists for the statewide calendar drawing contest entitled "Long Island Sound and Its Watershed: What It Means to Me." The annual drawing contest is open to all Connecticut students currently in Grades K-6. Santiago Araujo of the Shelter Rock School in Danbury was named the overall winner. His artwork will be featured on the cover of next year's calendar.New England Science & Sailing Announces Winning Artists in Annual Statewide Drawing Contest
NESS's President and CEO Spike Lobdell commented, "This year's contest involved over 2,000 Connecticut students whose inspiring artwork depicted the importance of preserving Long Island Sound. Many thanks to the students as well as their teachers and parents who provided support in this environmental stewardship project."
A panel of judges chose two first place and two honorable mention winners from each grade as this year's award recipients. The students will be honored at an award ceremony in Hartford later this month. The artwork will also be part of a calendar in 2019.
Honorees include:
Student Name
Grade
School
Place
Dayne Elvis Lecy
K
Dr. Charles E Murphy Elementary School
1st Place
Evelyn Leff
K
Niantic Center School
1st Place
Evelyn Coronado
K
Harbor School
Honorable Mention
Mylez Mitchell
K
Roosevelt Early Learning Center
Honorable Mention
Kaylah De Jesus
1
MM Generali
Honorable Mention
Lena Cosentino
1
Niantic Center School
Honorable Mention
Keishlyanne Garcia Lopez
1
Individual Entry
1st Place
Julia Banda
1
Preston Veterans' Memorial School
1st Place
Santiago Araujo
2
Shelter Rock School
Overall Winner
Amelia Auten
2
St. Mark School
Honorable Mention
Landon Bourque
2
Dr. Charles E Murphy Elementary School
Honorable Mention
Aidan Naktenis
2
Niantic Center School
1st Place
Laila Vondle
3
Shelter Rock School
Honorable Mention
Aya Yoshimuta
3
Greenwich Japanese School
1st Place
Juliana Braz
3
Shelter Rock School
1st Place
Lillian Harney
3
West Broad Street School
Honorable Mention
Grace McKee
4
Niantic Center School
1st Place
Ken Nikaido
4
Greenwich Japanese School
1st Place
Matayo Swepson
4
West Broad Street School
Honorable Mention
Shea Cullen
4
Dr. Charles E Murphy Elementary School
Honorable Mention
Marcella Hamm
5
St. Michael School
Honorable Mention
Emily Jenniges
5
Individual Entry
Honorable Mention
Sydney Lombard
5
St. Mark School
1st Place
Yosuke Miura
5
Greenwich Japanese School
1st Place
Jonathan Wutka
6
Hartland School
Honorable Mention
Sebastian Gawrys
6
HALS Academy
Honorable Mention
Momoka Morimoto
6
Greenwich Japanese School
1st Place
Julia Lacasse
6
Individual Entry
1st Place
NESS, a nationally-recognized and award-winning nonprofit ocean adventure education organization, provides students of all ages with year-round ocean adventure programming that includes marine science, sailing, and water sports. NESS scholastic programs support teachers' STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) curricula with a unique combination of on-the-water and in-the-classroom lessons intended to build confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills.
The annual "Long Island Sound & Its Watershed" calendar drawing contest is funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation and was previously overseen by the Long Island Sound Foundation. For more information about the drawing contest, please visit http://nessf.org/long-island-sound-calendar-contest/.
New England Science & Sailing Foundation
Caroline Knowles Assistant Director of Advancement, Communications and PR
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New England Science & Sailing Foundation, Inc. (NESS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) ocean adventure education organization that engages students in experiential learning to build confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills. Marine sciences, adventure sports, powerboating, and sailing are platforms for inquiry-based learning, personal discovery, teaching respect and responsibility for the sea, and creating connections with the community. NESS operates year-round with families, schools, and organizations to provide high-quality programs that blend an innovative curriculum with exciting ocean adventure activities. For more information, visit www.nessf.org.